TheWriters
List of Writers
Bad Tuning. Galerians. Ghost in the Shell. Moonlight Mile. Xenosaga.
What do these mature-themed, famed stories all have in common?
Front Mission! The writers behind the Front Mission franchise are not your ordinary video game writers. They're talented, award-winning veterans with decorated portfolios that extend beyond video games - books, film, radio, etc. If you've ever wondered where Front Mission gets its storytelling qualities, your answers lie below!
- Hideo Iwasaki
- Kazuhiro Matsuda
- Norihiko Yonesaka
- Hiroyuki Saegusa
- Masahiko Maesawa
- Yasuo Otagaki
- Taishu Matsuda
- Fumihiko Iino
- Hiroshi Yamaguchi
- Toru Akitsu
- Worked On: Front Mission (series)
- Credentials: Assault Suits Valken, Arc the Lad (I to III), Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (Ring of Fates, Echoes of Time, The Crystal Bearers)
The lead writer involved with Front Mission, Hideo Iwasaki is a seasoned scriptwriter. Aside from Toshiro Tsuchida himself, no one else understands the Front Mission world better than Hideo Iwasaki. Iwasaki got his start in Masaya as a game planner, having worked on Assault Suits Valken with Tsuchida. He then moved into a scriptwriting position after leaving Masaya to help start up G-Craft. Of all of his works in the series, Iwasaki is best known for penning the scripts of Front Mission and Front Mission 2.
- Worked On: Front Mission, Front Mission 2, Front Mission 3
- Credentials: Advanced Busterhawk Gleylancer, Arc the Lad (I to III), Arc the Lad II: Elk's Fire (radio drama)
Kazuhiro Matsuda is a scriptwriter known for his work in the Arc the Lad series. Another Masaya regular, Matsuda worked alongside fellow scriptwriter Norihiko Yonesaka in developing stories for the company's games. At G-Craft, he was responsible for crafting the story for the Arc the Lad series, including the radio drama. Matsuda was co-lead scriptwriter along with Hideo Iwasaki for Front Mission, and Norihiko Yonesaka for Front Mission 3.
- Worked On: Front Mission 2, Front Mission 3
- Credentials: Advanced Busterhawk Gleylancer, Arc the Lad (I to III), Xenosaga (series), Xenosaga: The Animation (anime)
Norihiko Yonesaka is a scriptwriter well-known for her work in the Xenosaga series. Yet another Masaya regular, Yonesaka worked alongside fellow scriptwriter Kazuhiro Matsuda in developing stories for the company's games. After her work on Front Mission 3 as co-lead scriptwriter with Matsuda, she left Square Co., Ltd. and joined Monolith Soft. At the company, Yonesaka helped Tetsuya Takahashi and Soraya Saga write for the Xenosaga series, from the video games to Xenosaga: The Animation.
- Worked On: Front Mission 4, Front Mission 5: Scars of the War
- Credentials: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (Ring of Fates, Echoes of Time), Ghost in the Shell (series), Jumping Flash! (series), Rule of Rose
Hiroyuki Saegusa is a scriptwriter known for working on the Ghost in the Shell series. Saegusa got his start in the writing business through Ghost in the Shell, in which he was involved with the animated films, anime, and the video games. He also worked at Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and helped develop the Jumping Flash! series. Saegusa then joined Square Enix Co., Ltd. through PDD6 and helped pen Front Mission 4. Along with scriptwriter Masahiko Maesawa, the two wrote the story for Front Mission 5: Scars of the War.
- Worked On: Front Mission Mobile (2089 and 2089-II), Front Mission 5: Scars of the War
- Credentials: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - Echoes of Fate, Galerians (series), Galerians: Rion (OVA), Genji: Dawn of the Samurai
Masahiko Maesawa is a scriptwriter and film director who worked on the Galerians series. Maesawa worked with Polygon Magic to develop Galerians for the PlayStation. Next, he worked on Galerians: Ash and later directed the Galerions: Rion original video animation (OVA). When he joined Square Enix Co., Ltd. through PDD6, Maesawa co-wrote the story with Hiroyuki Saegusa for Front Mission 5: Scars of the War. He was also responsible for directing the cut-scenes in Genji: Dawn of the Samurai.
- Worked On: Front Mission Mobile (2089 and 2089-II), Front Mission ~The Drive~, Front Mission Dog Life & Dog Style
- Credentials: Buddhist Machine God "Borobudur" (manga), Ippei (manga), Moonlight Mile (series)
Well-known as the creator of the Moonlight Mile series, Yasuo Otagaki is an award-winning artist and scriptwriter. Otagaki got his start working as Osamu Yamamoto's assistant scriptwriter for publications such as Enix Corporation's Comics Bound. The creation of Moonlight Mile, published by Big Comic Superior, made him famous in the industry. Since then, he has been involved with Square Enix's Young Gangan publication and the Front Mission series, from the Front Mission Mobile video games to the original manga series The Drive and Dog Life & Dog Style.
- Worked On: Front Mission Mobile (2089 and 2089-II), Front Mission (manga & novel series)
- Credentials: Armored Core - The Fake Illusions (novel), Pacific Ocean - U.S.S. "Phantom Dragon 3" (novel series), Steel City Agharta (novel)
Taishu Matsuda is an artist and scriptwriter involved with the Front Mission manga and novels. Matsuda began his career drawing illustrations for light novel and manga publications. He got involved with Front Mission through Front Mission Zero. While Matsuda continued his artistic works such as Gun Hazard - A Mercenary's Iron Legs, he also delved into scriptwriting. His work included Front Mission Comics and Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard. Eventually, he was given a role as a scriptwriter for the Front Mission Mobile series.
- Worked On: Front Mission First, Front Mission: Front Line Report
- Credentials: Arc the Lad (novel series), Bad Tuning (novel), Breath of Fire - Childhood Chapter (novel), Sin and Punishment (series)
Fumihiko Iino is a scriptwriter and novelist, known for creating the Sin and Punishment series. A talented novelist, he has won awards for some of his novel works in his career. The biggest award Iino has won is the Japanese Horror Novel Award in 2007 for the novel Bad Tuning. He was first involved with Front Mission through the novel Front Mission: Front Line Report, which he co-wrote with Hideo Iwasaki. Years later, Iino came back to the franchise as a scriptwriter for the new story campaign in Front Mission First.
- Worked On: Gun Hazard: A Mercenary's Iron Legs, Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard
- Credentials: Argento Soma (anime), Giant Robo: The Day The Earth Stood Still (OVA), The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (film)
Hiroshi Yamaguchi is a scriptwriter and novelist best known for penning various anime such as Argento Soma. A seasoned veteran, he has worked on stories across various media over the years. Yamaguchi was heavily involved with the Front Mission: Gun Hazard project through the Gun Hazard: A Mercenary's Iron Legs novel. Additionally, he also directed the Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard radio drama.
- Worked On: Front Mission 4 ~Elsa~ (#I and II)
- Credentials: Demon Warrior - Luna Varga (series), The Brave Harpy (novel series), Her Majesty Series (novel series)
Toru Akitsu is a scriptwriter and novelist, known for creating the Demon Warrior - Luna Varga and Her Majesty Series. He has written many novel series, the most notable of which is the award-winning The Brave Harpy. Akitsu's involvement in Front Mission pertains to the Front Mission 4 ~Elsa~ novel series.
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